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Friday, 31 July 2015

Greenhorn - 'Like Rows Of Crooked Teeth' (Album Review)

By: Chris Bull

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 01/04/2015

Label: Black Bow Records/

Hibernacula Records

‘That's what's so brilliant about Greenhorn; as well as being seriously fucking heavy, you get a history lesson thrown in too’

'Like Rows Of Crooked Teeth' CD//DD track Listing:

1). They Said It Was Treason So They Cut Her Fucking Head Off

2). Kentucky Boone

3). Long Drop

4). Witch's Bridle

5). Dead Man's Hill

6). Like Rows of Crooked Teeth

7). Outro

Greenhorn is:

Sid | Bass, vocals

AJ | Guitar

Vlad | Drums

The Review:

Greenhorn'sdemo, released in 2013 was good enough for Terrorizer to label them "the future of British doom" and with this, their first full length, it's not hard to see why. "Like Rows of Crooked Teeth" was produced by producer extraordinaire and current Conan bassist Chris Fielding, indeed he has put his weighty stamp all over this.

'They Said It Was Treason So They Cut Her Fucking Head Off' starts with a simplistic lonely guitar riff before the proceeding monolithic slab of superb doom. Guitarist AJ's sound is thick with fuzz and sounds like he used tar to lube his strings. Vocalist/Bassist Sid's voice is harsh and evil as he sings about Lady Alice Lisle and her execution in the Bloody Assizes. Blood curdling stuff. Second track 'Kentucky Boone'features the vocal talents of Conan's Jon Davis whose high pitched banshee wail fits perfectly with the weighty riffs on this story of Wild West outlaw Helm Boone.

That's what's so brilliant about Greenhorn; as well as being seriously fucking heavy, you get a history lesson thrown in too.'Long Drop' is a relatively short affair, the opening drum fill from (now former) drummer Vinnie prompted my girlfriend to restart the track 5 or 6 times before I could give the song a proper listen. The vocals are belched rhythmically over the simple yet compelling riffs making this a song that's impossible not to nod along to. A rerecording of 'Witches Bridle' from their demo is up next, Sid showing he can do melodic vocals if he wants. The eerie melody of this song and the grim subject matter (the torture and Execution of an elderly woman at the North Berwick witch trials) provides a sinister edge.

'Deadman's Hill' builds with some almost military drums and wailing feedback before the ridiculously catchy main riff batters you. Around the 4 minute mark it all breaks down to a slow crawl before another brilliant riff takes the song to metallic territory, whilst Sid screams "she was filled with his cum" over and over. Finally the title track and the minute long outro,'Like Rows of Crooked Teeth' features samples of an interview with American psychopath Carroll 'Ed' Cole mere hours before his execution, played over the toe-tappingly terrific intro and the stellar main riffs, which have the density of an imploding planet. The screeching feedback leads off into the outro which deceptively lulls you into believing you're about to hear another song with a brilliant doom riff, before it all ends, much like the tactics of Ted Bundy.

This isn't a concept album; there is a recurring theme with each song having its own concept, mainly about genuine historical figures and their tribulations. I was very pleased to see a mention of my little band included in the album's 'Thank You' notes, this goes to show how much of an impression we made on them. Truthfully, my first listen to Greenhornleft an everlasting impression, they truly are a force in the UK doom scene and this album only strengthens that belief. Give this album a listen; let them leave an impression on you too.

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